Police Hold Shirtless Man On Hot Pavement At 170 Degrees

Police in Citrus Heights, California, held a shirtless black man on the pavement of KFC parking lot on June 23, causing him to suffer third degree burns and almost die.

According to the Sacramento Bee, police received calls about James Bradford Nelson III acting erratically inside the restaurant.

The newspaper says it was “100 degrees that afternoon in the Sacramento area. The temperature of the asphalt parking lot would have been close to 170 degrees, according to estimates by the National Weather Service. An egg begins frying at about 144 degrees, and human skin ‘is instantly destroyed’ at 162.”

Nelson’s mother, Tarsha Benigno, said what the police did was torture: “He had a schizophrenic episode, and now he’s fighting for his life. Even a dog doesn’t deserve to be treated like this.”

Police admitting holding the shirtless 28-year-old man down in the KFC parking lot after he became “combative” and tried to flee.

The police said once they realized Nelson was burned (due to their actions) they poured water on him and called for an ambulance.

Nelson was taken to the UC Davis Medical Center emergency room, and transferred to the burn intensive care unit where he was reportedly unconscious for three days. He has had three skin graft operations, may need more surgery and could be in the hospital for another two weeks.

Benigno said her son diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was a teen.

If Nelson survives, he faces charges of attempted robbery of a man’s wallet at the KFC, being under the influence of a controlled substance and resisting a police officer.

Nelson has a long history of criminal offenses over the past 18 years.

His mother explained: “He’s been caught up in a vicious cycle, in and out of the system. It’s terrible to worry every day about your child causing trouble because he is mentally ill.”